Parasha Vayikra

par le Rav Raphaël Benizri

Parasha Vayikra (ויקרא) — Vayikra 1:1 – 5:26. Read on Shabbat, March 20, 2027.

Summary of Parasha Vayikra

G-d calls to Moshe and speaks to him from the Tent of Meeting to convey the laws of the sacrifices. The parasha first presents the offering wholly consumed on the altar, the olah, which may be taken from the herd, from the flock or from the birds; each time the Torah describes the presentation, the laying on of hands, the sprinkling of the blood and the burning. Next comes the grain offering, the minchah, made of fine flour, oil and frankincense, presented raw or cooked in various ways; a handful of it is burned on the altar and the rest goes to the kohanim. It may contain neither leaven nor honey, and every offering must be salted. Then come the peace offerings, the shelamim, of which certain fats are burned on the altar; eating fat and blood is forbidden. The Torah then details the sin offering, the chatat, brought for an unintentional transgression, according to whether it was committed by the High Priest, by the entire community, by a leader or by an ordinary individual. It provides for an offering suited to each person’s means and, for the poorest, a simple offering of flour. The parasha ends with the guilt offering, the asham, notably for one who has benefited from consecrated property or who has denied a deposit by swearing falsely, and who must first make restitution, adding a fifth to it.